Habitat homeowner Tiffany Smith, left, stands with Rose Laurent, who presented a Bible to her during the dedication of her home Dec. 13. Sarah Bonnette

The nonprofit held a home dedication ceremony for the families Dec. 13 at the Groves at Miles Branch development in Covington, where each of the cheery homes are located. Dotted with bright yellows, reds, oranges and more, the neighborhood is a sign of hope for those who need affordable housing.

“Homeownership is such a blessing. To have a place to call my own, where my grandkids can stay and friends can visit,” said Connie Campbell, one of the Habitat homeowners. “It’s such a feeling of stability.”

Campbell, whose plans to retire and move to Florida got derailed by the unstable job market, found out about Habitat by attending a meeting in the Groves’ conference room. As the property manager for the development, she was renting an apartment there, but wanted to own a home again.

Habitat STW's volunteer coordinator Monica Bell,left, presented a Bible to Laura and Wesley Vinson, who is holding their daughter Rory, during the dedication of their Habitat home. Sarah Bonnette

Her home and the three others were constructed as part of Habitat STW’s Women Build project, which was co-chaired this year by Karen Slaton, a local psychologist, and Darnell Shuart of Shuart and Associates. The event each October brings women together from across the parish to make homeownership a reality for Habitat’s partner families by donating funds and volunteering to build homes.

More than 292 volunteers contributed 1,655 hours of labor to construct the four homes. Women worked alongside the families, who earned sweat equity hours doing construction and taking classes as part of the process of purchasing their homes.

Candice Slaughter had to work 300 hours on her home and others. But she said during that time she got to know the other Habitat homeowners and now feels like she has a “built-in community” of neighbors and friends before even moving into her three-bedroom home.

Slaughter said she is grateful for the home she’ll share with her 16-month-old son, Freddie. She has been living with her family in Bogalusa, but the 45-minute commute to her job at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Covington is tiring. “It’s a fresh start for us,” she said after the dedication. “I’m growing up while providing for him.”

Tiffany Smith also echoed the sentiment that the experience has cemented the sense of family she has with the other Habitat homeowners. Smith heard about Habitat from a friend and discovered how it would be a good fit for her.

Although her job at the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Commission provides steady income, Smith found it tough to cover the high cost of rent here. She ultimately had to move home with her grandmother.

Habitat homeowner Candice Slaughter stands with her nephews Travion Benne, holding a Bible, and Jermaine Pennington, holding a hammer, during the dedication of her new home at the Groves at Mile Branch. Sarah Bonnette

“The whole experience, it was great. It was something where we worked hard and we put our sweat into it. In the end, we got the biggest blessing of all,” she said.

Smith and the other homeowners hope to move into the homes right before Christmas after the final finishing touches are completed. That can’t come soon enough for the Vinson family – Lauren, Wesley, who works at the Chimes in Covington, and their daughter Rory.

The couple looks forward to turning the house into a home and familiar with every detail. The house will allow Lauren to bring home her 5-year-old son, Cameron, who has had to live with Lauren’s mother in Ohio. “We are super blessed,” said Lauren Vinson, a stay-at-home mom. “The people that have helped us have been amazing. It’s been a long, tedious road, but we are happy and excited.”

Jeff St. Romain, president and CEO of Habitat STW, said volunteers’ hard work is what makes it possible for Habitat to provide housing for those in need.

“We couldn’t do what we do with this community,” he said. “And that’s one of the wonderful things about Habitat for Humanity. We’re limited in the amount of government funds that we can receive, so we really have to get the community engaged with donations. And then we have to get engaged with people to build the houses.

“It’s just a wonderful model and a wonderful way to come together and build workforce housing for people in our community,” St. Romain added.

A key component to completing the Women Build homes is the WATCH program.

The program, which stands for Women Accepting the Challenge of Housing, is made of women who donate $1,000 annually to ensure the success of Women Build. This year’s program was chaired by Maurer van Voorthuysen of Business First Bank and C.J. Ladner of State Farm Insurance.

Thanks to WATCH donations and donations from sponsors, Habitat STW surpassed its $100,000 fundraising goal for Women Build and raised $113,970 in October.